Windows Phone 8.1 Reportedly in Testing Phase

Screenshots recently posted to Reddit suggest that Windows Phone 8.1 could be coming soon, as this upgrade from Windows Phone 8 is apparently in the testing stage on select Windows Phone handsets.

The screenshots were posted by the creator of the Archiver applications for Windows Phone devices, and illustrate specific Windows Phone versions that the app had been accessed on. Most of the version numbers are from the 8.0 code branch, but an interesting version number can be seen near the bottom of the photo – Windows Phone version 8.10.12076.0. This is the first public sighting of the aforementioned version number, and not only is this the first-ever in-the-wild appearance of a purported Windows Phone 8.1 build; it also matches up with existing Windows 8.1, or “Windows Blue” branding.

It can be inferred that only a few Windows Phone devices are being tested with Windows Phone 8.1 onboard; the 8.10.12076.0 build was only encountered twice by Archiver. The developer didn’t post any details on when the app had first been accessed on the supposed Windows 8.1 build. Like Windows 8.1, Windows Phone 8.1 was also associated with the “Blue” codename, but little else is known about the platform at this point.

However, a few insiders have gleaned some information on what Windows Phone device users can expect on Windows Phone 8.1. The well-connected Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet reported previously that a deeper unification between Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 may take place, with the latter OS including several developer-oriented features and an app development model just like the one on Windows 8.